The interpretacyon, and sygnyfycacyon of the Masse Here begynneth a good deuoute boke to the honoure of god, of our lady his mother, [and] of all sayntes, and ryght profytable to all good Catholyke persones, to knowe howe they shall deuoutly here masse. And how salutaryly they shal confesse them. And how reuerently and honourably they shall go to the holy sacrament or table of our sauyour Ihesu chryste, with dyuerse other profytable documents and oraysons or prayers here conteyned, composed and ordeyned by frere Gararde, frere mynoure, of the ordre of the Obseruauntes.

¶ The .xxvi. Chapytre / what thynge man receyueth / whiche worthely and in the state of grace / goth to the holy sacrament.

WE haue nowe herde / howe & in what maner ye shall pre∣pare your selfe by confessyon for to go to the holy sacramēt and resteth to declare what vertues and fruytes the mā receyueth in his soule / whiche hathe so pre∣pared hym selfe.

¶ Fyrste / the man receyueth in the holy sa∣crament / the same blyssed body and flesshe that our lady mary the mother of god hath borne in her vyrgynall wombe / & the whi∣che hath hange vpon the crosse / by the whi∣che sacrament also the man is made parte taker of all the goodnes that our lorde hath done in all his lyfe / in fastynge / prayenge / prechynge / in watchynge / and in his harde and bytter passyon. Also the man therby is made parte taker of all the merytes of all the sayntes in heuen: and of all the good per¦sones in erth.

¶ Secondaryly / the man receyueth in the holy sacrament / the holy precyous & blyssed

blode of our lorde Ihesu chryste: & therby is pourged of al his syn̄es cōfessed & forgoten. And after the greatnes of his deuocyon / the multytude of his synnes be forgyuen hym.

¶ Thyrdly / the man receyueth in the holy sacrament / the noble soule of our lorde Ihe¦su chryste / the whiche he dyd cōmende han∣gynge on the crosse / to his father god almy∣ghty / wherby man pourchaseth a gayge of euerlastynge lyfe. For yf god gyue to man the greatest thynge / as his owne propre sou¦le: he wyll gyue also that whiche is lesse / as the perdurable and euerlastynge lyfe.

¶ Fourthly / he receyueth also in the holy sa¦crament / the lyfe vnyed with the body of our lorde Ihesu chryste / wherby the man is transfourmed in god. For as puyssaunce or myghte is ascrybed to god the father / to the sone sapyence or wysdome / and to the holy ghost pytie and benygnyte / so the man also by the vertue of the holy sacrament / becō∣meth myghty & stronge in prayer / to resyste the euyll temptacyons of the deuyll of hell. He becōmeth also sage and wyse for to cho∣se vertue and the good from the euyll. He doth pourchase also in hym selfe great good¦nes: as loue and charite towardes god / and pacyence and humylyte.

¶ Fyfthly / the mā receyueth by the holy sa∣crament / the dyuynyte of our lorde: wherby the soule of the man is rēplysshed with the swetnes of dyuyne grace. For the man whi¦che hathe worthely receyued the holy sacra∣ment / albeit that the breade or hoste is con∣sumed and vanysshed / yet hath he our lor∣de Ihesu chryste abydynge ī his soule with his grace / as a spyrytual meate of the soule: and so he receyueth the sacrament bodyly & ghostly. But yf he receyue it in deedly syn̄e: he receyueth it bodyly / as the very body of our lorde / but he dothe not receyue the ver∣tues aforesayde in his soule. For whan the sacrament is dygeste ī the body of man / our lorde god dothe retourne vnto heuen from whens he came by his grace / leuyng the sou¦le voyde of all vertue: and possessed of the deuyll of hell / as Iudas the traytoure was whiche receyued our lorde Ihesu chryste in the holy sacrament / in the last supper or col∣lacyon. And bycause that he was not in the state of grace but in deedly synne / therfore he receyued not the grace of god / also oure lorde dyd not tary with hym. And so there be foure maner of folkes / that receyueth the holy sacrament.

¶ The fyrst receyue it bodyly & not ghostly

¶ The seconde / receyue it spyrytually or ghostly and not bodyly.

¶ The thyrde: receyue it not neyther bodely nor ghostly.

¶ The fourthe / receyue it bodyly and not ghostly / as hereafter is declared to the helth of the soule.